In a managed computer system, a managing server can manage a plurality of managed nodes, e.g., servers. A managing server can have access to a database that includes configuration and other information about the nodes and their hardware and software environment. Entry of the information into the configuration database can be automated or manual or both.
In either case, a problem can occur where the database information is not up-to-date or is otherwise inaccurate. For example, some centrally managed systems provide for a “fail-over”, where, in the event of a failure of a managed node, its functionality is migrated to a still working managed node. The managing server may identify a suitable fail-over node based on the configuration information in the database. If the configuration information in the database is inaccurate, the fail-over may itself fail, causing an extended interruption in service.
A managing server can use a procedure that checks the configuration database against the actual configuration of the nodes and their hardware/software environment. There may be various aspects to be checked for each node including what operating system or systems are running, what applications are installed, are the installed applications active or inactive, what is the hardware configuration, what external hardware and software resources are accessible, etc. The procedure can check each item in the configuration database and run a test on each managed node to determine if the database needs updating or other corrective action needs to be taken.